The Collar
by Rosezelene Ersa
Summary: The desert sands are mystifying, covering thousands of secrets and burying ancient rivalries. When one junior Egyptologist makes the discovery of the century, her life is changed forever in ways she could never have imagined. Now unable to remove a (cursed?) ancient golden collar that probably costs more than her life, the short sixteen year old finds herself in a dangerous world.
1. Egyptomania

~~~~~~~o0o~~~~~~~

Chapter One

Egyptomania

It was scorching that day, buffeted by the golden sands that enveloped the valley of the kings. The archaeological dig was well underway, with half the staff huddled under canopied tents on the surface while the other half toiled vainly in the sand. Small brushes and trowels cleared away the desert grain by grain, gently freeing artifacts that had been hidden from the sun for thousands of years. Pottery shards, clay beads still colored with earthen shades of red, blue, and green, small, trivial items that had survived a millennium through accidental preservation.

It was among these items that one worker sat, smaller than the rest, turbaned head bending near to the ground as their slender hands worked diligently on unearthing an ornate burial urn. It was light, and mostly intact, probably abandoned by ancient grave robbers with no interest in Canopic jars just like the rest of the odds and ends scattered around the empty, newly discovered tomb. Carefully, the worker brushed away the sand, freeing the edges of the container and revealing the stopper that sealed the jar closed. It was formed to look like a man's head. His skin was the same terra-cotta brown as the rest of the pot, paint chipped in some places where kohl outlined his dark, serious eyes. More careful excavation soon showed that he wore a striped red, yellow, and blue headpiece that exposed his ears. The worker observed a bit of chipped pottery under his chin, probably where a beard had been attached in the early New Kingdom.

"I guess it could even be as early as the 18th Dynasty." The worker's voice was feminine, and breathless from the suffocating heat that beat down on her back as she turned to wave over a nearby man with light brown hair and a small beard.

"Professor Yoshimori, I may need someone to transport this Canopic jar for me, it seems a bit fragile."

The professor ambled over and knelt down next to the young girl, eyes sparkling with pride at the careful procedure the future Egyptologist had accomplished. "I'll take care of it Aymi, this is quite a find! Unfortunate that it doesn't seem to be in a set with the other Sons of Horus, but we may be able to find a name."

"I certainly hope so." Aymi responded, her wide lavender eyes crinkling at the edges as she smiled at the professor. "It would be nice to know whose tomb was raided so heartlessly that even the liver was tossed outside. Hopefully we can find the other three jars to reunite Imsety with his brothers."

"Why not find the body while we're at it? It's ridiculous, the whole tomb is wiped out with no records of who it was constructed for. They must've been infamous indeed to have the wall murals chipped away so furiously."

Aymi nodded, a few light strands of hair falling out of her turban and into her eyes. The golden tips of her bangs glinted brightly in the afternoon sun.

"Well, hopefully your theory of a hidden burial chamber is accurate. After all, it's rare for an antechamber to be the only part of the tomb. At least… here in the valley. The Pharaohs were pretty affluent."

Professor Yoshimori sighed and patted her back, careful not to knock over the slender teenager when he did so.

"Yes, I hope so too. Sadly it looks like we won't have permission to break down that false wall until the Egyptian government has finished its survey. For now, at least we're making headway on the items buried here outside." As he spoke he gently removed the jar from the sand, turning the vessel delicately in his hands.

Aymi's eyes scanned the detailed base of the jar, observing the illustrations painted on the side and straining to make out a chipped cartouche carved on the side.  
"Akhenam-?" She pronounced slowly, squinting at the jar. She felt a pang of guilt in her stomach, saddened that she could only make out half of the glyphs making up the name.  
The professor, seeing this, shook his head in wonder. The girl was still a junior in high school but she already could read Ancient Hieroglyphics more accurately than many of the adults on his team, so he didn't doubt the validity of her translation. If he didn't know of her Japanese heritage, Yoshimori could've sworn she were Egyptian herself. Perhaps she had some ancestors from Egypt? He would have to ask her grandfather the next time they spoke…

"Though it's half the name, this is the closest we've gotten to discovering this Pharoh's identity. And, it does appear as though we're close to making a breakthrough. Maybe the government will surprise us and let us open the hidden chamber before you have to return home."

Somehow, Aymi doubted this statement. For one, the Egyptian Government was not known for being lenient when it came to their property. After all the mistreatment of their dead and their treasures during the 19th century's Egyptomania, they'd become much more protective and strict. Sometimes Aymi was happy about this, since it kept unethical things such as mummy "unwrapping parties" from ever happening again, but it was also a pain when working on digs with the professor. Not to mention, she had to leave for Japan the next day, so she wasn't holding out for any miracles.

"Aymi, I'm going to take this over to be photographed and tagged. Why don't you head down into the tomb and cool off for a bit? We need etchings of the few glyphs left on the wall and you may see something we've missed."

"Okay." She agreed, rising to her feet and brushing the sand off her khaki pants. Passing the other archeologists, Aymi walked across the valley until she was close enough to enter one of the canopy tents the team had set up for equipment. Some of the techniques used in recording their finds were more technologically advanced than others, such as the cameras used to photograph artifacts, but Professor Yoshimori was a firm believer in the "old ways are good ways" camp, which is why she retrieved some etching paper and charcoal then headed down into the tomb.

The stairs down were narrow and plain. The walls and stairs had, at one time, been painted bright hues of royal colors, but now only dull specks remained in the corners of the stairs and a few neglected mural bits not scraped off by the grave robbers.

'They must've had some vendetta against you, Pharoh." Aymi thought, bowing her head in hushed respect. She knew it had all happened thousands of years ago, but she felt bad for this man who had no doubt had immeasurable power when he was alive, yet was reduced to scattered body parts after his death.

'Kind of like Osiris.'

Aymi smiled sadly, perhaps the Pharoh wouldn't have minded so much to be like one of his gods… had his tomb not been raided in the process.

With that thought in mind, Aymi reached the bottom of the stairs. The antechamber was a rectangular space about as big as her living room at home. There were chunks of plaster on the floor and large chinks in the wall where chisels had been taken to whatever had been carved there, but aside from the piles of debris the room was vacant. Humming quietly with her voice bouncing back at her from the empty room, Aymi held up a large sheet of tracing paper and held it up against a portion of the wall that seemed to be less mutilated than the others. Carefully, she withdrew the charcoal stick from her pocket and used it to darken the paper, ridges from ancient writing raised darker on the page from her work. Patiently she documented the room this way, numbering pages in the order she made them, from left to right and from top to bottom.

Content, Aymi leaned back and observed her handiwork. 40 sheets of paper werecompletely filled in. Most of them revealed nothing, just some trenches and scratches in the wall, but a few had seemed promising so she'd set them aside. She picked them up now, carefully observing each one.

"Beloved ruler… beloved country… times of war… millennium… high advisor Akhenaden…" Aymi's eyebrows screwed together in thought. Akhenaden. The name was similar to the halved cartouche, but according to the context he was an advisor, not a Pharoh. However, one full name would be enough to make at least SOME understanding of the story, and Aymi was itching to figure it out. She spent the next few hours pouring over the etchings with scholarly persistence, managing to piece together a few possibilities. From hints in the broken text, she was fairly certain this Akhenaden was not only the Pharoh's advisor, but his brother. The Pharoh himself was an enigma. It was like someone had erased his name from history, much like another Pharoh with an infamous reputation.

'Maybe these two nameless Pharaohs are related? Maybe the brothers both ruled!' She thought, her inner fire sparking at the amazing revelation. 'Ancient family members of power often overthrew each other… since Akhenaden's name is left on the walls, it's possible that he's the one who chipped off his brother's name! He might have even killed him off and taken over the throne!'

Excited, Aymi scanned the pages until she was certain she had read everything still left on the walls of the ancient tomb. She was disappointed there were no other clues, but if she were right, it would mean she had the name of one of the nameless Pharaohs! Proud of herself but still not deluded enough to believe she'd figured anything out through pure speculation, Aymi knew she had much more research to do before she could be certain of anything.

Sighing, she released the pent up energy that had been building and shifted her left foot forward, privately showing respect for the Pharoh, whoever he may have been.

"Help me tell your story." She whispered. A chill ran down her spine.

~o0o~

Aymi emerged from the tomb a while later, a small frown painted on her lips. Her chest felt heavier than it had before she'd entered the dusty chamber, and she was confused with herself for this discovery. Why did she feel so odd, when she'd made such exciting discoveries?

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Aymi walked back towards the dig site, the sand crunching quietly beneath her work boots. Spotting the professor, the slender young woman quickened her step.

"Professor, you'll never believe what I found! Look at these etchings, I found the name of the advisor…" Immediately the two were deep in conversation, Aymi pointing out the glyphs backing up her theories and Yoshimori excitedly scribbling down notes in his field journal.

Before too long the pair became surrounded by a small regimen of archeologists, each more than willing to lend what they could to the conversation.

"-glyphs seem to support-"

"-might indeed loan some credibility to Aymi's theory-"

"-possible that the Pharoh's advisor might have governed in the place of any royal children remaining-"

Caught up in their conversation, they didn't notice the man who emerged from the tomb behind them. He stood in the doorway, hidden by the shadows of the valley, staring intently at the young woman currently surrounded by her coworkers.

A hot breeze wrapped his robes around his ankles and toyed with the white cape that was cinched around his shoulders, sunlight glinting off the large ankh dangling from a chord around his neck. He had a dark, native Egyptian complexion and unusually dull blue eyes that seemed impossibly empty.

Aymi shivered, the weight on her chest becoming oppressive and her knees buckled. She swayed and was caught by a number of hands before she could fall, though she still felt impossibly heavy.

" -symptoms of heat exhaustion." She faintly heard the professor say. "Let's get her inside so she can cool off."

The girl squeezed her eyes shut and allowed herself to be steered into one of the enclosed tents and lowered onto a cheap fold up chair.

She focused on her breathing, barely registering the sound of Professor Yoshimori telling her to take it easy, and the tent flap closing as her co-workers left her alone inside to recover.

It felt like an eternity that she sat there, waiting for the overwhelming heat to subside. Instead it pressed down harder on her chest, and she felt her mind go oddly watery, memories brushing against each other and rising to the surface one by one. The last thing she saw before she was overtaken was a pair of dull blue eyes, narrowed with seething anger.

Images of her life flashed through her mind unbidden, and Aymi experienced it all in a muddled dream-like state that had her gasping wildly for breath as the mysterious man pointed his ankh at her head.

Her mom, holding a chubby little hand as a toddler-aged Aymi waddled though the bright supermarket, laughing childishly at her little brother's silly made-up games.

Her grandpa, proudly showing his collection of Egyptian papyrus scrolls and an old gaming table that had come out of an ancient tomb.

Aymi herself, hugging her brother as he confided in her about the bullies who had been accosting him at school, and the day after when she had gotten the jerks expelled for breaking into the principal's office.

So many memories, some good and some bad, like the jealousy she had harbored when her brother had received a legitimate ancient Egyptian treasure from their Grandpa, when all she got was another book on hieroglyphics.

The flash of anger she'd felt, when she found out her dad had gone back to work and wouldn't be coming back until after Christmas. Next year.

The desperation when her hard work awarded her nothing, and the tears flowed as freely as the pouring rain flooding over her prone form.

In an instant, it was over, and she could move and breathe freely again. The weight was still there, firm but no longer oppressive. It felt like she had been twisted, violently, from the inside out.

The first thing she noticed was a bright, golden light that enveloped the figure in front of her. The shifty Egyptian man eyed her in shock, his hand still clutching the ankh that was pointed between Aymi's eyes.

The second thing she noticed was that the light seemed to be radiating from her chest. She looked down, paling when she noticed that her long sleeved khaki shirt had been unbuttoned, supposedly by the stranger. That, however, was surprisingly not the most disturbing part. Beneath her shirt, sitting directly on her skin, was a wide golden collar that hugged tightly around her neck and covered her chest like armour. It shimmered with power, emitting the strange light that was slowly growing dimmer by the second. Hieroglyphics covered every inch of the collar, and her lilac eyes grew wide as she skimmed over the insanely complicated protective spells that they described. A single cartouche decorated the center of the collar.

"Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen..." The stranger breathed in shell-shocked awe.

Aymi didn't have time to process any of what had just happened. Her eyes were already rolling up into her head as she slumped back against her chair. As she lost consciousness her arms fell lifelessly to her sides.

~~~~~~~o0o~~~~~~~

Still gaping, the mysterious Egyptian man stepped towards her and reached out towards the collar, reverently stopping himself before he could touch the golden jewelry. He'd tried that mere moments before, and that was what resulted in him being ruthlessly pushed back in a flash of golden light.

It had been hard enough for him to use the ankh to enter the girl's mind. It was like pushing through thick syrup, even with his target's seemingly weakened state. The little he was able to see consisted of mere snippets of memory that somehow obscured her soul room, of which he could only make out a few shimmers of gold and the aroma of lilies. He'd been left stumbling through half-formed scenes and had come crashing back into reality, tightly clutching the Millennium Key, convinced the thieving girl was tricking his mind somehow.

Now, he shook himself and looked back at the door to the tent. The girl's comrades would be coming back to check on her soon, and they could not find him here.

His gaze shifted back to the girl.

She was a mystery. At first, he had thought she had simply stolen the only remaining treasure from the tomb. But now...

The man lowered his head in a curt bow, his left foot slowly shifting forward.

"Until we meet again."

He turned on his heel and disappeared out into the heat, his thoughts raging wildly within his mind.


	2. Homeward Bound

-~~-~~~~~~-o0o-~~~~~~-~~-

Chapter 2

Homeward bound

"For the hundredth time, I'm fine, Grandpa, I promise." A flustered Aymi claimed as she wrapped the phone cord around her pinkie finger. It was an old round-dial phone on the customer service desk in the little private airport the professor had booked all their flights at. Aymi had, to the surprise of her traveling companions, easily dialed the shop's number when she said she was going to call her Grandfather.

"Aymi, you're wearing a cursed Egyptian collar! You're not fine!" Her Grandpa exclaimed loudly over the phone, and she could just envision his crazed expression. With a wince, she continued to speak.

"Grandpa, I'm not cursed. I was hallucinating from the heat and the professor thinks the collar just had some weird ancient resin on it that stuck it on my skin. It's really no big deal, and I have to come home for school anyway-"

"-Aymi, listen to your grandpa! I've dealt with this kind of thing before. You need to see a shaman!" He demanded before his volume escalated into a rant. "I know a really good one not too far from the Professor's place. And, really, not cursed?! What did the collar do, fall off a shelf and slide around your neck perfectly with no provocation? No! What did I do to deserve such a thick-skulled granddaughter-!"

Aymi sighed and gave the professor a pleading look, but he merely shot her a tired grin in return.

"Listen, Grandpa, listen! It's really okay-" She had to hold the phone away from her ear as he loudly rebutted her claim, but continued to speak when she got the chance, "-If anything, the collar is inscribed with a bunch of _protective_ spells, not curses. Anyway, the doctors we've seen refuse to touch the thing, but they did help Professor Yoshimori get permission for me to go back to Japan even with this priceless _solid gold_ ancient artifact stuck to my skin. They want me to see a specialist there." She paused for a moment, brow furrowing at her grandpa's offhand comment about her lack of concern for her wellbeing. She huffed and resumed her speech.

"Look, I'm plenty concerned. But I'm also tired and kinda homesick. We've only just finished taking all the photographs and etchings that they wanted to document the collar, and I filled out a ton of paperwork promising not to lose it. I'm coming home."

She stayed on the phone with her Grandpa for a few more minutes, assuring him she was okay and wouldn't change her mind, hanging up only when she got him to pause long enough for her to interject with her "goodbye" and "see you soon".

With an exasperated groan Aymi slammed the phone down on the cradle and put her head in her hands.

"Why does Grandpa have to be so difficult." She moaned. "He's gonna chew my ear off when I get back home."

"Sorry Aymi, we may not always agree on things, but your Grandpa's a good man with a good heart. In his own way, you know he's only trying to take care of you."

"Yeahhh… I know."

"At least your grandpa likes you, Aymi. Mine hates my guts. Well, really he hates my dad, but I'm unlucky enough to look like him…" A tall girl with a thick American accent complained, her light brown hair bobbing slightly as she spoke.

"Jaden, I have no comment for that." Aymi replied with a roll of her eyes. "Though I guess you're glad we're all going home then? You did say your mother's family lives in Cairo."

"Yeah, not like they'd ever visit me while I'm here, but at least there's that. I can't wait to get back to Alabama. I miss my _good_ family members."

"You're not the only one, mon amie!" A posh male voice interjected, and the two girls looked down at where their tall raven-haired friend was lounging on the airport bench.

"My Mère promised to make raspberry macarons for me when I get back to France. Ah, how I long for raffiné cuisine!"

"Cut the overly French act, Raphael. You haven't spoken like that the entire time we've been working together, so don't start now." Jaden declared with her hands on her hips.

"Whatever do you mean, _souris forte_? I've always been this " _trop français_ "."

"Oh shut it, Motte. Don't make me call your mother."

"Alright kids, that's enough." The Professor chuckled demurely, placing his hand on Aymi's shoulder. "I know tensions are high, but you won't have to see each other for another year so just settle down."

"He has a point." Aymi shrugged. "The Young Egyptologist Association doesn't reconvein till after school's over. You guys have been at each other's throats all summer anyway, it'll probably do you some good to have a break."

"Aw, our beloved little Japanese schoolgirl, you're such a peacekeeper in our times of need!" Jaden exclaimed playfully, clapping Aymi on the shoulder with a smirk.

"I'll miss you the most, mon amie!" Raphael added as he leapt up from his seat to crush the tiny girl in a hug.

Aymi glared at them, though her eyes were sparkling with the hint of a smile. It had been an interesting summer, that's for sure. The trio were constantly swapping between their respective languages, and had grown closer to each other for the last few months. Jaden and Raphael were college-aged, so Aymi was the youngest, smallest, and most picked on in their group, but just as highly prestiged. After all, the Y.E.A. only accepted the most gifted and devoted young Egyptologists into their "Summer Digs" program.

"Just think, our little Aymi will be 17 next time we see her!" Raphael exclaimed, and they all laughed good-naturedly.

Time passed quickly as they said their goodbyes. Jaden's flight was the first to arrive, and the girls hugged with promises to regularly e-mail and keep in touch throughout the year.

Half an hour later Raphael's plane arrived at the airport, and he gave Aymi another bear hug then patted her head and left for his home as well.

Finally, hours later, the last and final plane arrived.

"Thanks for everything, Professor. I can't wait for next year!" She hugged the older man and smiled up at him, her violet eyes shining.

"You're welcome Aymi, I'll keep you updated on the dig process here. It'll probably be a couple months before we get permission to knock down that wall, but at least we're making progress." The man said, shrugging his shoulders. "Oh, and let me know how your meeting with Dr. Kingsley goes. The authorities want the collar back in Egypt as soon as possible, but if it is as _impossible_ as the doctors seem to think, then they'll just have to live with you keeping it."

"Yeah… I guess. I'd rather they find a way to remove it, though. It's still really freaky not being able to take this darn thing off. It's like wearing a plate armor shawl under my clothes." Aymi replied grumpily.

"I can only imagine!" Yoshimori exclaimed. "Well, we'll just have to wait and see. Have a safe trip, Aymi."

"Thanks Professor. I'll see you later!"

Aymi boarded the plane and made her way to her seat. It would be a very long flight, and she was ready to just stuff her head into an oversized pair of headphones and snooze for the next 14 hours.

A few layovers and several hours later, Aymi was on the last leg of her flight. This plane was the biggest one by far, with three rows of passengers and numerous tiny windows lining the walls of the cabin.

Aymi leaned back on her chair, snuggling under her jacket and turning on her side to gaze out the dark window at the stars. She could feel the collar shift with her body as she moved, the weight a constant reminder that not everything was completely normal.

She released a sigh and closed her eyes, allowing the dim lighting to lull her gently to sleep.

~~~~~~~o0o~~~~~~~

That night, dreaming high above the clouds, Aymi drifted into a different time.

Golden rays of light reflected off the ivory pillars of a large palace complex. Men and women huddled in packs, dressed in fine linen and laden with jewelry that shimmered in the sun's brightest rays. They were conversing lowly in a dialect that had not been used for thousands of years, speaking in serious and slightly frightened voices that were too quiet for Aymi to understand.

Slowly becoming lucid, Aymi blinked slowly at the scene taking place before her.

"More weird dreams?" She murmured, eyes shifting to the beautiful hieroglyphic murals that decorated the palace walls. They were so bright and colorful, royal hues of red and lapis blue, colors so rarely experienced in present day ruins that it nearly brought tears to her eyes.

Aymi shuddered as a man twice her height walked through her ghostly dream-self, a long piece of cloth attached to his shoulders swirling dramatically behind him. He wore the crown of lower Egypt over a simple linen headpiece and held a silver rod in his hand that was designed to look like a swooping eagle.

Aymi was forced to follow along as he walked through the palace grounds. The people around him bowed reverently but continued on fearfully, as though they were worried about something. The pharaoh watched this with a sullen expression, his hand loosely gripping his scepter.

A voice called out to him, and he turned around. Aymi couldn't follow the language well enough to translate, but the voice was authoritative and harsh. It belonged to a man who wore a hooded cloak that hid his eyes and had a greying beard that extended a few inches beyond his chin.

Aymi watched curiously as the Pharaoh interacted with this mysterious man. The jewelry he was wearing ranked him as a high official, and there was a scribe cowering behind him who was dictating notes on a scroll of papyrus.

Intrigued, Aymi glided over to the scribe and glanced over his shoulder. Immediately her eyes widened at the shaky glyphs currently being written on his papyrus.

The words described a time of great desperation in war. There were enemies slowly raiding the Egyptian cities that ringed around the palace complex, and they were growing closer. The Pharaoh's armies were unable to defend effectively, and the invaders would be upon them before long. The figures for the Pharaoh's losses were staggering, and Aymi looked up at the man in pity. His expression was carefully schooled into a calm facade, though worry seemed to ebb in the depths of his eyes.

The high-ranking official reached out and placed his hand on the Pharaoh's shoulder. He spoke slowly and quietly, with a air of seriousness that settled over the group like a heavy blanket.

The Pharaoh turned his head slightly, startling Aymi because he seemed to look right at her. For a heartbeat, he looked into her eyes, his gaze searching.

The Pharaoh turned away and sighed. Sounding defeated, he uttered a short sentence that resounded with finality. To her surprise, Aymi managed to recognise one of the ancient words.

"Brother?"

~~~~~~~o0o~~~~~~~

A short bout of turbulence roused the petite girl from her slumber. Aymi blinked blearily out the window at the nearing lights of the Domino City Airport and frowned, feeling unsettled by her dream. It wasn't very unusual to have a detailed, story-driven dream, but lately they'd seemed extremely realistic and she'd never felt so lucid before.

Aymi cradled her head with her hand as the plane began to descend. It was getting brighter, the sun just barely beginning to kiss the morning sky. There were no clouds, just a few dimming stars that twinkled merrily over the horizon. She ran her fingers through her layered hair and began pulling it back into a braid. The interwoven colors threaded through her fingers, starkly contrasting each other in the thick plait of black, magenta, and gold.

"Attention passengers, we have landed at Domino City. For those of you visiting, welcome! And for those of you returning, we're glad you're home. Please remain seated until we come to a complete stop."

People began stirring, and shuffled around in their seats as they started to reach for the overhead storage. Aymi pulled her braid over her left shoulder and let it hang there limply as she watched the plane slowly drive over towards the loading bay. It rolled to a smooth stop and she reached overhead to grab her duffle bag before filing off the plane with the rest of the passengers.

Frowning, she looked around the airport and at the many people wandering around the area. She didn't see anyone familiar, so she decided to just head over to the baggage claim to get the rest of her things. Aymi waited for a little while, watching the conveyor belt cycle until some of the bags started to look familiar. With a sinking heart, she frantically scanned for her belongings but had no luck. Doing her best not to get worried, she approached an airport employee standing behind a wide mahogany desk.

"Excuse me, I can't seem to find my bags. Is there anything still on the plane that hasn't been brought out yet?" She asked politely, pushing away her feeling of doom.

"No, I'm sorry miss, they've brought out everything. It must have been lost on your layover. It should be here sometime next week if you want to come pick it up then. Excuse me, I have a call."

Aymi swallowed thickly as the older woman picked up the phone and started speaking rapidly with the person on the other line. Unable to keep up with the high speed conversation, Aymi turned away and leaned her back against the counter.

 _Well, at least I have my duffle._ She thought sadly. _Too bad most of my shoes are in that smaller suitcase. And all my light summer clothes. Well, it's going to be fall, so I guess it's not too bad…_

"Aymi!" A voice called out, and she looked up to see her grandfather running from across the airport. He was a short, stout fellow who very rarely did any physical activities, so he was puffing quite a bit by the time he reached her and huffing as he pulled her into a hug.

"Grandpa! It's good to see you!" Aymi said with a smile, enveloped in his familiar- and rather warm- embrace.

"It's good to see you too, Aymi! You've been worrying this old man to death. As soon as we get home we're going to take a look at that collar."

"Sure Grandpa. We'll have to wait on a call for my luggage, though. They lost it in transit. Where's-"

"-That trouble maker brother of yours is still at school, but he should be home by the time we get back to the shop." Grandpa replied, knowing exactly what she was going to ask. "And it's fine, you still have things at the house."

"Oh, okay." Aymi sighed, then smirked. "Guess I can't skip class next week to come pick up my stuff, huh?"

Grandpa didn't warrant that with a response and instead bopped her on the back of the head.

"Enough of that, you little truant! Let's get you home."

"Ha ha, yes Grampa." Aymi gave a close-eyed grin and pecked him on the cheek.

Her grandpa was a funny guy, but he loved her, and she loved him to pieces. He was there for them growing up, even when dad was gone for years at a time and mom worked the day away. He really was the best. Even if he was, well, a bit...

"You need to grow some more, Aymi! Your chest is still as flat as a board."

"GRANDPA!"

~~~~~~~o0o~~~~~~~

A/N

~~~~~~~o0o~~~~~~~

 **This chapter is dedicated to lesliemashburn as the**

 **sole reviewer last chapter.**

 **Please review, it'll help keep this story from**

 **dying! ^-^**

 **Question time!**

 **Do you think you know who Aymi is yet?**

 **First person to guess**

 **gets the next chapter dedicated to them!**

 **As I am and always shall be,**

-R.E


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